Black Roses
by hazeltopaz
Summary: On the month of Halloween, Rosalyn P. Marshall, mayor of the small town called CloversCavern, is feared for her life. Being cursed isn't so bad, right? Not when you'll die on Halloween night! Rated T for one reference of violence


As a mayor, I understand that the consideration of the townspeople is to be of my knowledge, and I understand that I have to be in the stituation. I never really believed in curses, nor do I plan to ever to understand such superstitions. It's around the month of October when things were heading downhill for me. However, when an old resident returned back to live here once again, I was feeling a bit uneasy. Nevertheless, I have to be cordial and welcoming.

As I was walking around town, I watch the construction of a spooky tower. I kept guessing who was moving in; I mean, it could be Ray or Yuki, who has left the town for a short while, but I was wrong. The person that came out of the tower was Mel, and to be honest, I'm always scared of him... Why? He's a mummy. Everytime he comes over to me, he keeps saying: "I curse 3 people a day... but YOU'RE the only one that I never cursed." Ugh, deep in my soul, I was just ready to strangle him. And since it's the month of October, his random "threats" are more common than ever. Everyone won't come out when Mel is, and it's just bothering me. I know this isn't right, but he has to go. I walked up to the haunted tower and knocked on it, hoping he'll reply. As I looked around, everyone is giving me a worried look.

"Hello? Mel, are you awake now?" I called out, waiting for his response. I hear moaning from behind the door, so I know he's awake. At least I know he can talk, but his voice is slightly muffled.

"Come in." Mel opens the front door and allows me to come in. I was very nervous as I was trying to find a way to tell him to leave. "What is bothering you this evening? Besides, I signed a petition to have the sun removed; it may be helpful for everyone." I like the humor in the joke, so I was giggling at the comment. This may be the first joke that I actually like... But I need to get to the point.

"Well, uh... Mel, the town signed a petition, requesting-"

"To have the sun removed?!"

"Um, no. To ask you to leave. Everyone signed it, including myself. So, by tomorrow evening, I would like you to have all packed and leave. If you want, I can help you find a good residence to where-"

Before I could continue talking, Mel pushes me towards a wall, holding me tightly; one of his hands held my arm, while the other hand held linen wraps. He wraps one of my legs, and once he was done, he releases me and said, "Now YOU are officially cursed, Rosalyn. Expect the end at dusk of Halloween." And just like that, I leave in a hurry.

I try to pretend nothing happened, so I walked back to the town hall. After all, I need to file a release form for Mel, and also try to find a new residential area for him as well. I look down at my bandaged leg, wondering if he was actually telling the truth... Am I really cursed? Trying to forget what's going on, I pull on the bandages to remove them. However, as I tugged on them... they were hurting my leg and becoming tighter. My heart was racing... what was going to happen to me? In panic, I hurry over to Madame Zoe for guidance... perhaps she can tell me what's going on.

"I see a dark future ahead, Rosalyn... a future of death, sorrow, and mourning. Someone shall pass into the realm of the Reaper... everyone is grieving over the death." Zoe looks at me, as it read that it could be referring to me...

"Well, who do you see?! Who's going to die?!" I wanted to know so desperately... I just have to know.

"Rosalyn... that's YOU."

My heart sank once I heard it's me... I'm highly nervous about my future, and to hear that I'M going to die... Oh, this can't be good at all... Mel was right... I am cursed! In need of more answers, I look though books in both Zoe's home and in Elmira's home. None of the contents had anything about my curse... my panic only rose, and with all my thoughts racing around the stituation, it equaled to a restless night of nightmares.

A week passed, and oh my goodness, I never felt so tired before. I got help from Elmira, but while she was doing some of my work, she was treating me with disrespect. It's as if she never liked me at all. I noticed Poppy and Carla having a tea party nearby the enterance to the forest, and I thought that maybe relaxing for a while may calm my nerves.

"Hi, Poppy! Hi, Carla! May I join you two here?" I asked the girls, hoping they'll offer me a seat. As I sit down next to Carla, she scoots away from me, giving me an angry look. "Is everything okay?" I become worried for her. Did something happen and she doesn't want to talk about it?

"Get away from me, Rosalyn." Carla mutters under her breath. I was shocked at what she said, so I decided to say something to her.

"I didn't do anything, Carla... You can't accuse me for something I never did. Besides, I won't do anything to harm you in anyway." I tried to explain to her that I didn't start anything or hurt her, but for some unknown reason, she won't listen to me. Turned out it was the exact opposite. Anything I say to her seems to be offensive to her and Poppy.

The rest of my day didn't go as planned. No one was in the mood to speak to me, and when I do say something, they would either give me the cold shoulder or give me a cold remark. My only hope is that what Zoe told me the other day was all a lie, and I was falsely accused of some sort of crime.

I returned to Mel's tower to tell him of my stituation and to make sure that none of the citizens' hate was caused by my curse. He doensn't give me a direct answer, but it kinda seems like it might be related in a way.

"When this curse is afflicted upon someone, they may notice to see negative changes among the people they care or know about. I noticed this from this morning and the days previous. Oh, and by the way..." Mel pulls on my dress to show my other leg. "You might want to spend your days wisely..."

My mouth drops at this... how much longer do I have to put with all this trouble? All I wanted was to get this curse cured! Needing more assistance, I check back in with Zoe to see if there was any solution to my curse. According to her knowledge, there isn't any remedy to help me, and that I have to find it myself. However, it's not like I can waltz out of the town and find this cure; we only became a five-star town recently, and if I'm not there to do the paperwork and filing, no one will, and if I'm gone, the town will slowly crumble back into a zero-star state... But which would I rather lose? Eventually, I am going to die because of this, but not at this time... I decide to take a risk and explore the desert at night, where no one will suspect me to be up so late.

As I prep for the evening expedition, I notice a light from outside... who else could be up so late...? Of course, one of the newer residents, Whimsia. She's our current builder of the town, and to my surprise, she's a late bird. Perhaps she's running deliveries to some of the businesses?

"Hmm? Oh, good evening, Mayor Rosalyn!" She calls out to me, waving her hand to me. I try to pretend that she's not there, but for some reason... she's the only one that has shown me kindness. There's no way I could say no to her happiness.

"Hello, Whimsia. What are you doing up so late?" I asked her, walking up to my friend. She only chuckles, as if she didn't want to tell me, then I notice a small chair in her wagon. "Another late night delivery, I assume?" I look at it carefully, checking on the essenses that are used... 5 cherry blossoms and two dark wood.

"I know you're under a ton of stress, so I thought the colors in this will help brighten your mood!" She told me as she rushes inside the town hall and places it near the front entrance. "Say, now that you asked me why I'm up, I want to ask you the same thing."

As I'm about to tell her my answer, I suddenly feel a sharp pain in my stomach area. My goodness, it felt like something was squeezing me... I carefully lifted up my blouse to touch the area and all I felt was linen lining my stomach, coming in close to my chest. "Um... I'm just getting some fresh air, that's all."

"But... You look you're in pain. Are you sure?" I know Whimsia is concerned for my well-being, but I can't let anyone know of my conditon. "Please, let me help you! Raven's hot tub can wait till morning; you're more important to worry for."

"I thank you for your help, but I'll be fine." I try to speak though all this pain, but it still didn't drive Whimsia away; instead, it only made her even more worried. I can even tell in her voice, which is shaky and stammering. "I know you're only concerned for me, but there are times where you can't keep worrying for others... and for this task, I have to do this alone. My apologizes."

"No, no! It's fine, Rosalyn. I just hope you're okay." And for a short while, Whimsia looked at me with a concerned face. I know that I'm lying to my hardest resident, but for things like this... I have to keep it to myself.

"Well, um... I'll be on my way now. Good night."

"Good night, Rosalyn."

As I stand in front of my door, I wait for Whimsia to head in a different direction, just nowhere near the desert. She walks into Patrick's house and closes the door softly. With her out of the way, I make my way into the desert.

Walking over to the cemetary, I check the tombs to see if anyone suffered the same fate that is upon me. There were no answers from the dead's tombs, nor can I get any from there. The tombstones were weathered so much that there are no words left to read off from. The last place I could go look into was the catacombs... but I was never fimilar to that place. The last time I went in there was when I was younger, perhaps about 9 or 10. I allowed my curiousity get the better me back then, and when I looked into a coffin, some of my classmates pushed me in and closed it, scaring me half to death. I was left inside for about 2 hours before a teacher found me, covered in dust and cobwebs. I still get nightmares of that experience. However, if I can get some sort of lead, I will take that chance. Taking in a deep breath, I turned on my flashlight and walked inside.

The darkness inside was so thick that my flashlight can only reveal my surroundings a few feet around me, and the stagnant air made me cover my nose and mouth for almost the entire exploration. Walking slowly and carefully, I tried to make sure I don't caused some sort of accident with the artifacts or with myself. The bandages around my legs and stomach are burning my skin, forcing me to stop and tug on them even more. Finally, I get to where I wanted to be: The hidden archives. This place is completely unknown to everyone, and I'm the only one that knows this place. Searching though scroll after scroll, I tried to see if there's anything that I can do to save myself.

"There's got to be something in here..." I mutter under my breath as I read scroll after scroll, waiting for answers. My heart races as I pass bookshelf after bookshelf, finding nothing to my help. Once I got to the last shelf, I carefully read each scroll hastily, feeing my hands shake due to nervousness. I'm now done to the last reading... will this really hold the remedy I need to avoid my pretold fate? As I open the scroll, I read rapidly, skimming the words to see if I can understand the context... there wasn't _anything_ for me...

Feeling like all hope has been lost, I collapsed on my knees and started to cry. All of my efforts were useless, and with everyone's attitude towards me gave me a sign that no one's going to help. Whimsia could help, but I can't have her worrying, and Zoe can only give me temporary relief from the pain, but my death is definite. The last one I can turn to is...

"Why are you asking me just now?" I looked down at the ground across from Mel, holding my hands closed together. "If you only took my warning, this wouldn't be happening to you."

"Please don't give me any pity. I'm just asking for forgiveness." I choked out from my raspy voice. Since I have left the catacombs, I haven't stopped crying, and right now, it's not doing me any good. "Whimsia may be the builder here, but without me, she can't bring in new people. Someday sooner, if I die, this town will collapse once again." I'm just praying now that Mel will understand my stituation. "It's only a few days left to Halloween... please do consider." And with that note, I take my leave and walked out kindly and calmly.

For the next few days, I remained indoors, hiding myself from the townspeople that once loved me. The bandages are now covering me from the chest down, including my arms and neckline. I can't even write properly, for goodness sake! I'm now completely disabled, and I don't think anyone's going to help me.

As I prepare for bed, I hear someone knocking on my door. "Rosalyn, are you asleep?" that voice was Whimsia. In both sorrow and happiness, I rush to the door and let her in and hugged her tightly. "Whoa, what's gotten into you?" she asks me, looking at me confusedly. "*ahem!* Well, um, Madame Zoe wanted to see you now, since she kept telling me that you weren't coming out for a while."

"Oh, really? Let her in. Thank you." I couldn't let go for some reason... For this whole month, this has been one horrible nightmare, and she's only been my ray of light. "Can you at least hear me out...? I have to tell you the truth." For the next half-hour, I told Whimsia everything that has happened to me and why I was hated now.

"For all this time, from when this all started, Rosalyn has told me of her troubles. I was told to be silent of such things until now." Zoe understood what was important at the time, and to keep this secret was something I needed badly.

"So all this is what's been happening? No wonder why you went to the desert a while ago! Oh, if there was something I can do to help you, I will find a way." Whimsia still had high spirits, and I was so pleased to see that in her.

"Well, I won't mind having some company as I rest for the night... After all, this is going to be my last evening with friends, and everyone seems to not want me." I sigh under my breathe as I get up to tuck myself in. I hear a chair pulled up to my bedside, seeing that Whimsia was going to stay here and keep an eye on me... "Thank you... for everything you've done." In that moment, I felt peace come over me as I fall fast asleep...

_In the dream..._

For some reason, I thought this was going to be one nice sleep, but all I got was a nightmare. I was lying on my back, my arms down my sides and my legs are held tightly together. I had a hard time breathing, and I can feel each of my breaths against my face. I could barely see what's in front of me, but all I know is that it's very dark, wherever I am, of course. All of a sudden, light is shining down on me, but I still can't see what's happening... just what is going on here? All around me, I hear laughter and mocking remarks, which are AT me... and someone was looking down at me as well. I have no clue of what's going on, despite all the voices and the lack of visability.

"Settle down, everyone. It's going to be fine. She's never going to come out again. Besides, she's dead, right?" That voice... it was Mel! "I'm sure she'll like to see this town flourish under her help, but she can't be here forever. Now's her time to step down."

Was I going to be killed in front of everyone in town?! I tried to move, but something was keeping me from moving... I was wrapped up completely in linen, and Mel seems like he wants to take control of the town! I kept thinking to myself, _this isn't happening, this isn't happening!_, but it was... Will this come true tomorrow? Suddenly, I felt a sudden pain in my chest as a knife entered into me, stabbing my heart. My vision began to blur as I slowly drift away from existence...

"AAAAAHHHHH!" I woke up in shock, also waking up Whimsia, who was sleeping on in one of my conference chairs. As my vision comes back, I could somewhat see Whimsia walking up to me, but it's still hard for me to actually see her completely. Much to my fear, now my face is covered in all this gauze, and no amount of removing it is going to help...

"Rosalyn! What happened to you?!" Whimsia cried out to me, grasping my shoulders tightly. I wanted to tell her about my dream, but for now, I'm at a loss for words...

"I...I don't know if I can answer this one." was my reply. "What day is it, Whimsia?"

"Um... You're not going to like this... It's Halloween." Whimsia answered with a drpressed feeling in her voice.

Once hearing that, my heart sank. I was frightened for my life. What would happen if I was gone? Will the same events happen to my town once again... Everyone will be leaving, Whimsia will be heading home to who-knows-where, and I will be dead, with no one to actually care about me or my death. "Whimsia, I plan to stay inside today, but... Would you keep me company for the time being...?" I held back my tears as my town builder embraced me. I could hear her whimpering, and I know she will desperately miss me.

"I'll give you all my undivided attention today. This town would never be the same without you, for sure." was my friend's last response. Silence filled the room as we both stayed close to each other, not leaving the room for anything. As night fell, we both had fall asleep, then knocking aroused us from our sleep.

"WHERE IS SHE?!" I heard the massive crowd of angry residents calling me out, followed by massive pounding at the door. "COME OUT NOW!" I became so feared at this moment that I hid underneath my desk and Whimsia was stacking items against the door. That wasn't enough to keep everyone back away. Master Aran breaks down the door with so much force that it knocks Whimsia onto the ground, knocking her out to sleep. I felt about eight hands grabbing me out of my desk and carrying me, taking me away to the desert. In panic, I tried to remove the bandages as quickly as I could, ignoring the tightning pain that came with it. The more I tired to set myself free, the more exhausted I became. At the moment we arrived at the desert gate, I passed out...

The next moment I woke up, it was like I was seeing my dream again... Everyone was cheering for the fact I was going to die, and Mel was going to end me. As I closed my eyes to expect the knife to stab me, I hear... laughter? I felt someone pulling me out and getting me into a sitting position. Someone else, Violet, I guess, had a pair of scissors and starts snipping the linen off me, first starting at my neckline and working her way down. I take a deep breath of air, knowing that I was safe, but why is everyone laughing at me when they were harsh and cruel weeks ago?

"Gotcha! You really think I would kill you?!" Mel joked at me, throwing his arm around my shoulders. "Man, you're so gullible, Rosalyn! What have you been doing; reading one too many books in your childhood?!"

"B-b-but I thought you ALL hated me for a whole month! Why are you acting nice to me now?!" I demanded to know the answers to this whole game, and Mel decided to speak again, this time, on everyone's behalf.

"Since we know that you're serious in everything you do, I knew that I was expected to leave. To end things off with a bang, I thought it'll be funny to prank you about your whole death sentence. I told everyone to hate you for the whole month, and the gazue you're wearing have rubber bands in them, so when you tried to pull them off, they will hurt you a little bit. You keep getting covered each day cause I've been sneaking into your house at night so I can keep wrapping you as you sleep."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing... I'm not going to die, and I was played on?! Nevertheless, I take everyone's apologizes, allowed Mel to stay in town, and I'm just so relieved to be living still... though I refused to talk to anyone for a week. Oh, well. At least life can continue on for our town.


End file.
